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CLAREMONT, N.H.- Chris Lindquist reached a goal Friday that he’d set for himself four summers ago. After a multitude of close misses, the Super Street hot shoe won his first feature event at the Thrasher Road speedplant.
Ben Poland, who’ll apparently be passing his 2023 Race Day TV Outlaw Late Model crown to Guy Caron in a couple weeks, proved he won’t be quietly drifting away, stormed to victory in Friday’s Outlaw 25-lapper, and Tyler Leary led the final 17 laps of the Asetex Tire and Auto Sportsman Modified main event to score the win.
Young gun Adrian Smith topped the LaValley Building Supply Pure Stocks, 2023 champ Steve Miller Jr. dominated the Avery Insurance Six Shooters, and Andrew Harmon rocketed to victory in the visiting New England Dwarf Cars feature.
Friday the 13rh was still a full week away, the sliver shining above the backstretch was far from being a full moon, but the action Friday at the historic third-mile was wild and wooly. Fans who’d come hoping for action a plenty, got all of that and then some on R.E. Hinkley Oil Company Night at CMP.
Jason Laffin and Matt Sonnhalter led the R.E. Hinkley Fuel Co. Super Streets to the green, with Sonnhalter, the division’s current top point’s man, jumping all over the opening lead. But Chris Lindquist, firing from row two, was glued to his bumper,
Lindquist was hitched to Sonnhalter’s coat tails when the first of three event cautions waved on lap one, this one for Dave Greenslit, the race winner only five days earlier. The next would be for the first of two major wrecks in the 30-lap main. Laffin, returning from a huge wreck Sunday night, broke loose in turn four and hurtled not once, but twice, into the frontstretch wall, destroying his ride but able to walk away unharmed.
Back under green, the lead pair went back to work, blistering the asphalt only inches apart. Finding just the surge he needed, Lindquist took charge on lap four and never looked back. Jimmy Zullo would slam the turn one wall hard on lap16, with Lindquist again up to the challenge on the restart.
Robbie Streeter got up for third on lap 21, joining the lead pair in victory lane nine laps later. Sonnhalter’s bridesmaid run left him comfortably atop the point’s parade. Strong and steady Dylan Zullo was fourth, with Greenslit rebounding for fifth.
Haydon Grenier led the first 17 laps of the Sportsman Modified feature, with Tyler Leary then lowlining to the lead and never looking back Reigning track champ Nate Wenzel moved up to second on lap 24 but could only watch from two lengths back as Leary took the checkers.
Grenier would complete his impressive night’s work in third, with number two points man Brad Zahensky fourth. With a net plus of three on the night, Wenzel now sits 21 markers ahead of Zahencky in his bid for a repeat championship.
Ben Poland led all the way in Friday night’s Outlaw Late Model feature. A wild one, the 25-lapper was slowed by six cautions, including a lap-16 yellow, then red, when Tyler Lescord’s ride was destroyed along the frontstretch wall. Lescord was able to walk away from the carnage but his night, and possibly season, met a violent end.
Guy Caron blasted into second on lap 14 but, on this night, had nothing for the speedy Poland. Cam Curtis, strong all night, earned the third-place trophy.
Jordan Gonyea and Amy Jaycox led the Pure Stocks to the green, with two-time winner David Smith, aboard one of the fastest cars in qualifying, quickly bopped out of contention before a single lap was in the books.
Jaycox led the first six laps, before giving way to top points man Keegan Tabor. Two laps later, Tabor had Adrian Smith knocking loudly at the door and, after two more go-rounds it was Smith at the front and rookie star Kyle Kenny – from row four – charging fast. With Smith scoring the win in a blanket finish with Kenny, Tabor’s third-place night moved left him 15 markers atop the 2024 points parade.
Steve Miller Jr. inched ahead of Paul Colburn on lap four of the Six Shooter 20-lapper and then pulled away to win by a country mile. His father, current points leader and former track champ Steve Sr., took second on lap eight but on this Friday was no match for the younger Miller.. Bradey Lamotte impressed in third.
Andrew Harman took the lead from Ryan Carman on lap eight of the New England Dwarf Car feature and never looked back. If he had, he’d have seen division strongman Justin Harris blasting up to second on lap 21 but then running out of laps as he tried to reel in the leader. With Harris strong in the runner-up slot, Zig Geno came home third.
Claremont Motorsports Park will roar back into action on Friday the 13th, when Frazer’s Place presents Sportsman Modifieds in a double point shootout for the 2024 Track Championship excitement atop a six-division card of racing including Tour Type Late Models, Super Streets, and much more.
CLAREMONT MOTORSPORTS PARK SEPTEMBER 6 TOP COMPETITORS
SPORTSMAN MODIFIED: Tyler Leary, Nate Wenzel, Haydon Grenier, Brad Zahensky, Jeremy Zullo, Colton Martin, Trevyr Young, JT Cloutier.
OUTLAW LATE MODEL: Ben Poland, Guy Caron, Cam Curtis, Travis Cass, John Meany, Craig Smith, Steve Bly, Cory Bly, Josh Ruel, Tyler Lescord.
SUPER STREET: Chris Lindquist, Matt Sonnhalter, Robbie Streeter, Dylan Zullo, Dave Greenslit, Robert Hagar, Joe Tetreault, Ryan Farewell, Travis Sykes, Jim Carley
PURE STOCK: Adrian Smith, Kyle Kenny, Keegan Tabor, Andrea St. Amour, Gage Dillingham, Carter Conroy, Chris Chambers, Chris Conroy, David Smith, Ethan Meyette.
SIX SHOOTER: Steve Miller Jr., Steve Miller Sr., Bradey Lamotte, Paul Colburn, Evan Jacobsen.
NEW ENGLAND DWARF CAR: Andrew Harmon, Justin Harris, Zig Geno, Ryan Carman, Chris Sullivan, Ronnie Carman, Kenny Scott Jr., Daniel Brofman, Jeremy Rodiman, Adam Bousquet.
